Clutch mechanism.



J. G. VINCENT.

CLUTCH MECHANISM.

APPLICATQON mu) NOV. 21. ms.

1,241,060. Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

. 33 WLZne sses: lmxenion To all whom it may concern:

UNITED sTArits .Pi jr NT" OFFICE;

JESSE o. v'nrcnnr, or. Im'rnorr, MICHIGAN, assrcnon roracmn moron can. 0011mm, or nnrnorr, incmean, acoaronarron or MICHIGAN.

cLU'rcH MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patenied Sept. 25, 191 '7.

Application tiled November ill, 1913. Serialflo. 802,264.

so it known that I, Jn'ssn G, vVnscini'iga citizen of the United States, and resident of Detroit, Wayne county, State .of Michlgan;

have invented certain new andquseful 1111-- ,provements in .Clutch Mechanism, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates togmotor vehicles and particularly to the clutch mechanism thereof. v 7 One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple and efi'ective braking device for: the driven shaft of a clutch.

- Another object of the invention isto .pro-;

vide a clutch broke, the braking arts of which aremounted within the clutc casin and the adjustment and sprin device 0 which are mounted in an access le position outside or the casing. I

v Another object of thejinvention is to pro+ vide a clutch of the form shown with fan 7. adequate .braking device that may be adjusted as the clutch parts wear so that the braking device will come into operation a -proximately at the time the clutch is full released, both when the clutch arts are new and after they" have consideragly worn. These and other objects of the invention will [3: observed fro'm'thefollowing description t, ken in connection the drawings which forma part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a verticallongitudinal section through a portion of afmotor vehicle. em-

suitably 'supportd upon the vehicle frame, 7

not shown; 11 is the: motor vehicle dash; and 12 re resents the floor hoard immediately-in mm: of the drivers seat. The clutch pedal. 13, is shown as extending through the floor board 1:? to an operative position for the driver. The rearwardend end mounted of the motor crank shaft is shown at 14 and iw-heel is mounted ri idly upon-a flange 16 'f0 ed as an integraf part of the driving or cran shaft. The motor crank case 10 extends 'rearwardly in the form of a casing 17 surrounding the fly wheel 15, and the casing 17 is supplemented by. another casing 18 which extends rearwardlyand supports a hearing'sleeve 19 in which are annular ball bearings 20 and thrust bearings 21. For the purpose of this specification therefore, the crank case 10 and the casings 17 and 18 maybe collectively termeda supporting cas- I in Thepasings 17. and 18' may be detacha'h y connected asby the bolts 22, and the bearing sleeve 19 may be detachably secured in the rearward end of the casing 18 as by the bolts 23. In this connection it will be seen that the. rearward end of the casing 18 is formed with a rentrant supporting flange 24 for the sleeve 19. I The casing 18 is also formed with an inspection opening 25 closed by a removable cover 26. The sleeve 19 .is formed with a transverse slot 27 in ,7 its upper-side for the entrance ofjthe three parts of the thrust hearing 21, the particular form of this part of the sleeve forming no part of this invention.

A shaft 28 which. ma' be termed the driven shaft or clutch sha t, has its forward in a suitable hearing 29 in the rearward end of the driving or crank shaft '14, and its rearward end is mountedin' the bearings 20 and 21 as will be seen from the drawings. It will be understood that this shaft is adapted to rotate either with or independently of the driving shaft depending upon operation of the clutch 30 which is adapted to connect these twoshafts. The clutch shown is a friction clutch of the disk type having an outer cylindrical member 31 which is secured to the web 'of the fly wheel 15 as by the bolts 32, and anlinner member or spider 33 which, is suitably keyed adjacent "the forward end of the clutch shaft 28 and secured thereon as by the nut 34. Clutch disks or plates 35 are alternately keyed tothe inner and outer members of the clutch,-

so'me of the plates being supplied with ashestos facing 36 as a Wearing surface. The

forward plate 3.5- is secured rigidly to the 48 longitudina 36" in pressing all of the platesforwardly under s rin'gaetion, will cause them, to frictional engageso that both the inner and -outer clutch members will rotatetog'ether.

A sleeve 37 Y somewhat larger in diameter. than the clutchshaft 28 is to slide longitudinally upon the. latter having a bearing u 'o'nthe' hub 38 of the1spider 38 adjacent t e forward end of the clutch shaft 28. The clutch shaftis also enlarged as at 39 to provide a sliding surface for the rear ward end of the'sle'eve 3'1 and a spring'o is arranged within the sleeve 37 and between the enlargement 39ofthe clutch shaft and the forward end of the sleeve 37. spring, beingcom rejssed tends'topush the sleeve 37 forwardly d as the rearward clutch plate 36' is securedto this sleeve,; it is carried forwardly withthe' sleeve, thus cansin ,the'clutch to become, engaged; Thlisit wi l he understood that theclutch is alwa s engaged exce t when it 18 1'818 sed by t e operator or river through 'themeehanismhereinafter described. y

,The sleeye- 37 is formed withjaniinte gral flange 40" and the plate 36-" Surrounds .the sflleeve 37 immediately at the rear of this an on t e sleeve37f and an annular mem r 42 follows it. annularfmember 52 is keyed to the sleeve 37 as by'the-key 43 so that itwil l positively turn withthe sleeve. All of these parts are retained "onthe sleeve: 37 by means of anut 44"whieh is threaded on the end of thelsleese and locked in position thereon by the bolt 45 which in turn is locked by'a wire 46. i I

The spa'cing sleeve 41 is surrounded by a thrust bearing #7 which is .ofthe usual type and a shifter sIeeVeMS suI-rounds and.1 n closes t his thrust bearin 47. The shifter sleeve 1s provided with t e usualtrunnions 49 shown in dotted lines in Fig. .1 and a eke 50 has arms 51 (also shown m dotted in F 1)" which surrounds said-trunnions 49 an are adaplted to move the'shifter sleeve ofthe clutch shaft.28 In making thisshi in'gmovement, the yoke 50 rocks upon its trunnions 52 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and one 0 these trunnions 52 extends through the wall of the '18 and is rovided with an arm- 53 shown "in dotted hnes in Fig; 1, which arm is operated by the pedallever 13 through an arm 54Qa nd a rignnecting linkv 55.

mm the above desc'riptionit be seen that the clutch thoughnormall en a by the spring 40; inay be readily 4 g ged the operator upon pressing the pedal 13.

As, is well known, a clutch of this ..characher on motor vehicles is used forthe purpose of disconnecting the motor'from the drlven shaft: while making gearshiftsi' In making A spacing sleevell is then laced wconnected to the member 56- by ngagedby difl'eren'cein the pressure exerted a shift a lower to a hi her gear, it is desirable that'the clutchor riven. shaft 28 shouldbe retarded immediately as the clutch is released so that there may not be any clashin of the gears. 'It is one of the uroses '0 the present invention to provi e a rake for the 'clutch so that the clutch shaft 28 may be retarded in its rotation as soon as the clutch plates have been released from operative eng exit.- The prinoi elements of the brake are the annular ember 5,42-which is keyed to and secured, upon the sIeeveBT andtherefore adapted to-rotate with the driven shaft 28 but to slide relative to it, 'and the non-rotating member 56 whichis shown as keyed u on an annular extension 57' of the bearing 5 cot e19 This mounting permits the member 56 to slide upon the extension but neither or theparts can rotate due to the .bolted connection to the/casing 18 at 23. r The brake elements and 56 have eoiiperating faces, one of, which is referabl lined and extending through the wall of the casing 18, as shown in-Fig. 2.] The yoke 59 isv v trunnions 62, v and the rock shaft 60 has an arm 63 on the outside of the casing 18. A spring 64, on the outside of the casln connects the arm 63 to the ca'sin and there y tends to move the member- 56 rwardly'a' inst an adjustable stop 65 in, a lug 66. T- e stop 65 is locked in adjusted posltion bya locking nut 67 and determines the inoperative position of the non-rotating brake element 56. 5

It will be "seen that upon the disengagement of the clutch the brake elements 42 and 56 are brought intoyieldin codperamately constant tehsion a vfurther movement of the element 42 after it is brought into initial contact'w'ith the element 56 ermits the element '56 to move 'lon' 'tudinal y' with the from t e beginning of to the complete dis-- engagement of the clutch.

' It will-also be seen from the ahovelthat the spring 64 is a long one and is always under tension and that therefore very little b it is noticeable in adjustin the 'stop 65. llenoe, when the clutchplate inings 36 are new the stop'65 is positioned about as shown .in the drawings and the pressure exerted by the. spring 64 as the clutch is released and the brake elements are brought into enga ement, is approximately the sameas when t eplate linings have worn andthe stop has been adjusted to permit the brake member 56 to move farther forwardly. In other words, the braking. etfectof the cooperating elements 42 and 56 is not materially altered by the adjustment of the stop 65, which stop therefore merely follows up the wear of the ,clutch 'plates tocause engagement of the braking elements at approximately the same point in the disengagement of the clutch.

' Means for lubricating some of the moving parts of the clutch are shown in Fig. 2, the grease cup'68 supplying lubricant through the flexible tube 69 which passes through an opening 70 in the side of the casing 18 to the trunnions49 and thrust bearing 47, and

the oil cup 71 supplying the bearings for the trunnions 52.

In Fig. 4 a modified form of the invention is shown. In this form the non-rotating element 56 is shown as integral with the shifter sleeve 48, this sleeve beinga nonrotating part, and the rotating element 42 of the brake is keyed to a contracted part 28 of the clutch shaft 28. A spring 1"? surrounds the clutch shaft, bears against the brake element 42, and its tension is adjusted by a nut 64". nut 65 acts as an adjustable stop corresponding to the stop '65 of the other form. The sleeve 37 and theenlarge.

ment 39 of the clutch shaft are the same as in the'other form of the invention.

In the form shown in Fig. 4i'the brake member 42 may be adjusted forwardly and the same tension of the spring 64 retained by adjusting both nuts 64 and 65'.

It will be understood that the invention vof a clutch brake having a rotating sliding part and a non-rotating sliding part, means preventingengagement of said parts while the clutch is engaged, and means causing yielding engagement of said parts upon disengagement of the clutch.

2. In a motor vehicle, the combination with a casing, drivin and driven shafts therein, and :a clutch connecting said shafts,

" adapted to rotate with and slide 'longitudiof a clutch brake within the casing, and

means-accessible from the outside of said casin for adjusting said brake.

'3. n a motor vehicle, the combination with a casing, driving and driven shafts therein. and a clutch connecting said shafts,

of a clutch brake within the casing, and.

means'on the outside of said casing for adjusting said brake? 4. In a motor vehicle, the combination with a casing, driving and driven shafts therein, and a clutch connecting said shafts, of a clutch brake within the casing, a spring device for said brake on the outsideof said casing, and means for adjusting said brake. 5. In a motor vehicle the combination with the'driving and driven shafts, and a clutch therebetween, of a braking element slidable on the driven shaft, a nonrotating and sliding braking element surrounding the driven shaft, and non-rotating yielding m'eans causing said elements tocoeperate upon the disengagement of the clutch.

6. In a motor vehicle, the combination with a easing,'-driving and driven shafts therein and a clutch between said shafts, of

a braking element rotatable with the driven shaft,.a non-rotating braking element coing element rotatable with the driven shaft,

a nonrotating braking element coiiperati'ng therewith, both of said elements being mounted to slide longitudinally of said shafts, and nonrotating yielding means for controlling the cooperation of said elements.

8. In a motor vehicle, the combinationwith driving and driven shafts, and 'a clutch between said shafts, of a braking element adapted to rotate with and slide longitudinally of said driven shaft, 'a non-rotating cooperating braking element mounted to slide longitudinally of said shafts, and a nonrotating spring controlling the coiiperation of said elements.

9. In a motor vehicle, the combination with driving and driven shafts. and a clutch between said shafts, of a braking element nallvof said driven shaft, a non-rotating cotiperating braking element surrounding said'driven shaft and mounted to slide relative thereto. a spring tending to cause engagement of said elements, anda non-rotating stop limiting the sliding action of said non-rotating element.

10. In a motor vehicle, the combination with a supporting casing, driving and driven shafts therein, and a clutch connecting said shafts, of'a bearing for one of said shafts, a

sleeve supporting said bearing and mounted in said casing, a braking element on said driven shaft, and a cooperatingbraking element on said sleeve, said elements being adapted to cooperate upon disengagement of the clutch.

11. In a motor vehicle,-the combination with a supporting casing, driving and driven In a clutch, the combination with a ing yieldin means for controlling the 00- 10 driving shaft, a driven shaft, and clutch operation 0 the braking elements. elements cooperating therewith, of a braking In testimony whereof I aflix my signature element frotatalgllle f211th and slidable relative in the presence of two witnesses. to one 0 said a s, a non-rotatin e06 ri ating braking element mounted to lide on-' JESSE VINCENT gitudinally of the other braking element Witnesses: means for operating the clutch elements, an LE R01 J. WILLIAMS, one of the braking elements, and non-rotat- CLAIR J 

